Do you go shopping in these days before Christmas with your husband and all your kids?

[ToomanyMilesAway]

I ask out of curiosity after a trip into John Lewis yesterday. Why would you do this? Men standing about blocking aisles with prams 🤷‍♀️ crying children? Why don't you leave him at home with the kids and you get time alone at the shops? Is it to do with that he has to play his part in all the organisation etc? Genuine question.

Well she cares because it's hugely annoying, especially when you're in a rush. This drives me mad through the year in Costco, which is hugely busy all the time, and there's families meandering round blocking isles.

I'd set a rule limiting group sizes in grocery stores to two at the most year round, but depressingly my attempts to make this a law have fallen on dead ears with my MP.

Ha yup we did exactly this last weekend! Was so lovely. Soz OP!

Most young kids do not enjoy shopping especially in crowded places. I can understand just popping in for something or taking them to buy a present for grandma or whatever but it really is not the time for a wander around the aisles packed with frantic shoppers.

I left mine in bed and went early this morning (food shopping). I was home and unpacked before they even woke!

I do often have to take the youngest with me if DP isn't home though but it's not out of choice.

No way, my DC are a nightmare at the shops. We buy most things online and DP and I do our food shop on the last day of school.

Why would your DH have a mental block food shopping - it’s a weekly occurrence

If I ask him to get dinner he will literally get 1 of 3 recipes, regardless of when we’ve had them before in that week. If I go with him to the supermarket and ask what he wants for dinner he couldn’t think of one if you offered him £100. He just gets overwhelmed. He’s absolutely fine with a list and will get everything, he’s happy to go food shopping alone and does so regularly, but he cannot think of dinner ideas for the life of him.

Because we chose to?

We were all at b&m this morning so the DC could buy for each other and us. Which ended up with us all next door buying the last few food bits I couldn't buy on Monday.

I'm with you OP and @Youhaveyourhandsfull

It is fucking annoying. Men standing aimlessly around, usually just outside the changing rooms or right in front of the knicker stand. Kids flailing around on the floor screaming their guts out because their parents thought it was an excellent idea to show them all the goodies in the supermarket - and then tell them they can't have any. I mean how ....just how can that be a jolly good outing for anyone.

What I was thinking is that it doesn't look like fun for you with young kids crying and mum shouting where's daddy? It looks like an endurance test 😂

Because we're usually only going to a supermarket at all if it's on the way back from somewhere else. So not going to drive home then come back out again

It is stupid to bring all your family on the business days of the year.

Most people in the supermarket today were very aware of not being in other’s way, but there was a big family of 5 or 6 with most of them just swinging their legs about and leaning around bored while busy shoppers tried to navigate around them.

Why do you assume that the woman is the rightful shopper and the DH is the tag a longs? Why aren't you asking why the wife insisted on coming too and cluttering up the shop when she could have stayed home with the kids and let him do it by himself?

And no, I don't agree that other people should be restricted to one person ler household because it makes shopping nicer for you. If everyone in the house is using the shopping its not unreasonable for them to want to be involved in choosing it. Only time 1 per household was a thing was covid.

If you think that's bad, try going to A&E where some people think it's appropriate to bring their entire family so there's nowhere to sit for other people who are actually ill...

We do almost all shopping online so no, it's not something I'd do. But generally we do most of our activities as a family unit, on a weekend they are mostly leisure activities, and that's because we value our time together as a family and don't want to be split up, even if it's less convenient.

because….no one would ever see a woman standing there like a lump of lard whilst harassed husband shops, that’s why … over the weekend in our small town, there they were, wheeled out, the hapless husbands, captains of industry reduced to chariot drivers, kids in trolleys, families 3 abreast, I only went in for wraps … silly me

If I need to, yes.

I took my DD today (& again tomorrow🥲) because I have no one to have her. It was a nightmare too, I’m frantically trying to concentrate on getting through all the crowds & find what I need & she’s none stop “mummy, look at this”, “can I just show you something”. Same again tomorrow morning.

My DH came shopping with me in 1990. He was so grumpy and got in the way so much, he has never been allowed to come again.

He was very happy to take thenDC to the park when I went. He has always been very happy for me to make the choices as I see fit and trusts me to spend the money.

I only object to DC being in the shops if they are allowed to scoot. Why? Why do people think that's acceptable? If they want to scoot, take them to the park.

We like going together.

Supermarkets at this time of year are fun for no one - I really struggle to see how anyone sees this as a fun activity for a family.

I whizz in grab what I need and depart.

But each to their own.

I don't understand why, if shopping is that stressful for you, you don't do it all online.

Why are you still physically going to shops if the stress is so bad it makes you hate seeing a family out together? Listen to yourself!

''I am out there at the busiest time! Why is everyone else out here?''

I’m a woman on a mission. I shop alone and I shop fast. Nobody is coming along to slow me down or derail my plan of attack.

We do. Kids are adults now but we have done in the past too.
I think it’s important for family to shop together.

Not my problem if you don’t like it.